Saving Shreyas
Charity sector.
“Over several years, James consistently delivered results that were instrumental in building the profile of the charity and promoting our flagship event, the London Chess Classic. In that time, his energy, creativity and eye for a story enabled us to punch well above our weight in PR terms. One memorable tactical campaign culminated in a Cabinet Minister overruling a colleague, a decision with positive, life-changing consequences for England’s youngest grandmaster.”
- Malcolm Pein, Chief Executive, Chess in Schools and Communities
Chess in Schools and Communities
The Brief
Chess in Schools and Communities, a charity with whom I have a long-standing relationship forged over many years, media campaigns, press conferences and photoshoots (including one with the World No.1, Magnus Carlsen, on the London Eye), came to me with a serious problem. One of its youngest stars, nine-year-old Shreyas, the most promising chess prodigy in a generation, faced deportation back to India. The loss of his talent would be a huge blow for chess in this country and the scope of the game to foster children’s educational and social outcomes nationwide.
The Challenges
In short, red tape.
I had to build a media campaign that would override steadfast Home Office policies around UK visas and immigration, in order for Shreyas’ father to be granted an extension on his work visa.
So not your run-of-the-mill, minor hurdle to jump over then.
The Delivery
Actually, while the objective seemed toweringly mountainous, delivering the campaign was reasonably straightforward, simply requiring as much media attention on the issue as possible in a short space of time.
I set up interviews with major national newspapers and broadcasters, and issued a release to all major news outlets and the story was subsequently picked up by international outlets – including The New York Times and CNN – and did the rounds on social media.
The Result
Feature interviews with the Guardian and Daily Mail, and taking Shreyas and his father into the BBC Studios to be interviewed by John Humphrys on Radio 4’s Today remains a career highlight. The story prompted a nationwide furore, as fans of the game (and, indeed, some celebrities) expressed their exasperation at the situation.
I vividly recall taking a call from the charity’s CEO and hearing him say, “I don’t know how you’ve done it, but you’ve done it.” We’d made enough noise that the exceptionally slim odds of a positive outcome turned into an invitation to Westminster from Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who personally intervened and waived the visa ruling.
Shreyas subsequently became the youngest British chess player to achieve the title of Grandmaster, at the age of 15 years and 7 months. Note British chess player; not Indian – he is now a British citizen!
